In the years following World War II, Capitol Avenue was the focus of redevelopment efforts. When visitors entered the city from the west via the M Street Bridge, they had to drive through the middle of the west-end slums that lined both sides of...

In the years following World War II, Capitol Avenue was the focus of redevelopment efforts. When visitors entered the city from the west via the M Street Bridge, they had to drive through the middle of the west-end slums that lined both sides of...

Established in 1849, the city was formed along the waterfront and extended up J Street toward Sutter’s Fort. The Old Sacramento District is a national historic landmark due to its rich place in California’s history. A quarter of a million...

The Old Sacramento District is a national historic landmark due to its rich place in California history. A quarter of a million immigrants came to the Sacramento area, withstanding the ravages of fire, flood and disease to build their lives. ...

This 1960 photograph shows the inviting storefront of the Wonder Café at 1116 Seventh Street. The restaurant was operated by Mary Yee. To the far right of the frame is the P.C. Penney department store on the southwest corner of Seventh and K...

This circa 2000 postcard presents Sacramento's contrasting urban realities. The 1960s provided a watershed period for Sacramento as redevelopment efforts purged the blight from realm that -- at one time -- saw one of every three retail outlets...

The Hotel Trow at 508 1/2 K Street was one of at least six hotels located on K Street between the Sacramento River and Tenth Street during the early decades of last century. Owned by Mrs. Anna Trow, the hotel operated under that name from 1912 to...

This evening photograph of Old Sacramento's Second Street, between I and J streets, was taken in circa 1990. Prior to Old Sacramento’s emergence from a center of urban blite to a State Historic Park in 1965, a series of ideas were proposed for its...

This circa 1910 postcard shows the Eureka Engine Company Number Four Fire House and the office of the Fire Department's Chief Engineer, located at 1017 Fifth Street. The building was constructed in 1855 and survived until redevelopment in the...

Photo taken circa 1960 of the Hotel Delta at 511 L Street. The building included Sy's Hollywood Barbershop at 509 L Street. Next door, in the former Goodwin Tent Maker space, was the office of Sacramento Redevelopment (515 L Street).

The Ritz Motel at 2228 Auburn Boulevard, also known at the U.S. Route 40, was one of many lodges - the Rolling Green, Town and Country and Pacific - that lined the pre-U.S. 80 stretch between Sacramento and Reno. With the advent of the super...

Shown in 1960 at 917 Sixth Street is Sacramento Bowl. Opened in November 1948 at a cost of 250,000 dollars, the business boasted 17 lanes, 15 billiard tables, a cocktail lounge and a restaurant. Its owner, W.S. Van Winkle and President of the Bay...

This 1960 photograph of Merchant Street captures the street's north side, between Sixth and Seventh Streets. The first two structures - from left to right - are the Ramona Hotel at 1007 Sixth Street and the Ramona Garage at 606 J Street. Once...

Pictured in 1961, at 432 J Street, is the Terzakis Brothers’ tailoring shop. The brothers, Thomas and Nicholas, were natives of Greece, having immigrated to the United States in 1905, then moving to Sacramento in 1916. Nicholas previously owned...

This 1962 view of Merchant Street, between Seventh and Eighth Streets, shows the "Family Entrance" to Boitano's Restaurant and Bar at 712 J Street. To the left is the Crocker-Anglo National Bank at 700 J Streets. Beside it is Miro's Barber Shop...

The haggard Wallis Apartments, at 1300 Ninth Street, are shown in this July 1952 photograph. The 21-unit building, sitting on the southwest corner of Ninth Street and Capitol Avenue, was built before 1895 and expanded prior to 1915. It was razed...

Taken in 1957, this photograph shows the weathered facades of the Hub Hotel and Tavern at 224 J Street and the Lincoln Room at 226 J Street. The building housing the Hub was erected by wholesale merchant and Kentuckian Edward P. Figg after the...

Intended to be humorous, this postcard is set along Sacramento's Capitol Mall, near Seventh Street. Superimposed hot air balloons float above the California State Capitol building and several other government offices including, to the left, the...

Pictured in 1960 is the Ramona Hotel at Sixth and J Streets and several of its business tenants. Included in the photograph are Wong’s Café at 1011 Sixth Street, the Ramona Shoe Shop at 1013 Sixth Street, and the Office Hours Tavern at 1015 Sixth...

This 1908 postcard shows Sacramento's Post Office and Federal Building, located at the northeast corner of Seventh and K streets. The structure was dedicated on George Washington's birthday, February 22, 1894. It was razed, in the name of...